How to Choose After School Activities For Your Child

It’s that time of year again – back to school. You know what this means, multiple trips to the store for school supplies and stocking up on all your kid’s favorite lunchtime snacks. Not to mention, weaving the carline drop-off and pick-up back into your schedule or getting in the swing of the neighborhood carpool again.

As exciting as the new school year can be, it’s a big adjustment for parents and children. Thankfully, after-school activities can help ease the transition from summer to the school year, and they have many long-term benefits for your child’s development.

You have to find the right after-school program for your son or daughter if you want to get the most out of extracurriculars, though. Use this guide to help you make the best choice.

1. Talk (and Listen!) to Your Child

Imagine if you were a kid and all you wanted to do was learn to play piano, but your parents made you play soccer, or vice versa. Placing your child in a certain after school activity without their input takes all the fun out of it for them. Sometimes, this does turn out to be a good fit, but not without a lot of pushback and some tension.

The best way to make sure your child enjoys what they’re doing after school is to ask them what they really want to do. This could be anything from joining the soccer team to participating in theater, or maybe a mix of sports and arts.

Of course, your child can’t do everything at once, but together, you can create a plan that works. Take the time to ask what they’re interested in. More so, listen to why they want to do a certain activity in the first place.

2. Get a Feel for Different Options

Once you’ve talked about your child going to volleyball tryouts or trying their hand at playing guitar, you can start looking into how they’re going to do that. Don’t just assume it’s best to put them in the school program or to find an outside organization/teacher. Do your research.

Ask other parents what they’ve enrolled their children in and the kind of experiences they’ve had in the past. See if they know anyone who can give the one-on-one beginner training your child needs, or on the other hand, a way to get more advanced training to continue your young one’s development.

Cover details like the cost and time commitment, too. This gives you the best idea of what’s available for your child and what works for your family.

3. Find Something That Really Fits

The cost and time of after-school extracurricular activities are more important than you might think. You don’t have to bend over backward to pay for soccer, or dance, or violin, or whatever your child wants to do. The free option, though, isn’t always up to par with what you’re expecting.

Beyond the finances, there’s also the matter of fitting everything into one day. It doesn’t make sense for you to drive across town every single weekday, even if it’s the only after-school option that offers what your child is looking for.

You have to find the balance between giving your child access to the things they’re interested in, but without wearing yourself out (or your wallet). If it’s just not possible for them this year, sit them down and tell them why. Then, find a solution together; come up with a new after-school activity for them to try.

4. Be Encouraging, But Not Demanding

No matter what your child’s after-school schedule looks like, be careful of becoming the overbearing parent. Encourage them to try hard and do well, but don’t be hard on them when they’re not getting the results they (or you) were hoping for.

Your child won’t always be the best one on a team or the most talented kid at the recital. Medals aren’t going to come home with your family after every single competition, and that’s okay!

Notice when pushing your child to do their best turns into asking too much of them. Also, don’t forget that school comes first, especially if your child does turn out to be a star. It’s easy for parents and children alike to get caught up in the thrill of being the best, but someone has to recognize where the priorities should be.

5. Let Them Quit and Try Again

Keep in mind that just because you’ve found something that fits your schedule and suits your child’s interest doesn’t mean it’s the ideal option. Maybe your child doesn’t feel a connection to their coach or teacher or maybe they lose their interest in the sport halfway through the season.

Be gentle if such things occur. Remember you were young once too, and part of learning things about life means recognizing when things aren’t working out.

Children do sometimes quit just to quit. But more often than not, they sense it’s time to try something new. Encourage them to explore all of their interests rather than making them stick to one thing.

You never know, your little Messi could actually be a Picasso if you just let him/her get to know all of their talents. Plus, it’s not always about what your child is good at, but what they actually enjoy!

Balancing After-School Activites as a Family

The final tip to use when choosing after-school activities is to maintain a balance between school, after-school, family life, and social interactions. These things often overlap, but they need to have their own time in the day.

Don’t be so hard on your child about school that they never do extracurriculars, but don’t fill their schedule with extracurriculars that they don’t have time to be a kid and just play. There’s a reasonable amount of time and effort for everything, and more time in the day than you might think.